The Cheapskate

Astronomy app SkyVoyager normally costs $14.99, but today it's free.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, astronomy apps SkyGazer and SkyVoyager are available free of charge from the App Store. Normally they're priced at $2.99 and $14.99, respectively.

SkyVoyager is a planetarium app that gives you a precise view of the sky from any position on Earth. If you have a telescope that's linked to a computer, the app can control it via Wi-Fi.

SkyVoyager features a database of 300,000 stars and 30,000 deep-sky objects. Definitely sounds like a must-have for hardcore astronomers.

If you're a beginner or hobbyist, you may want to grab SkyGazer instead. It shows you every star viewable with the naked eye and comes with hundreds of outer-space images from NASA space missions, the Hubble Telescope, and so on.

Both apps are free, but only for today (July 20). So get 'em while you can!

Thanks to reader Ricardo for the tip!

Developers frequently give away their apps. Follow 148apps_nowfree to find out every time this happens.

Still think there's no good reason to have a Twitter account? Here's a damn good one: iPhone app-review site 148Apps has a Twitter feed that notifies you when an app's price drops--to zero.

See, developers frequently run temporary promotions in which they give their apps away. Of course, it's all too easy to miss these freebies because you didn't know about them.

Based on what I've seen of twitter.com/148apps_nowfree, these promotions happen a lot. In the last 12 hours, I received tweets about at least 20 apps. Some darn good stuff, too.

Looking for a good way to keep tabs on this and other Twitter feeds? The popular desktop app TweetDeck recently made its way to the iPhone. Highly recommended.

Still not up to speed on this whole Twitter thing? Here's help: "Just what the heck is Twitter, anyway?"

Finally, while we're on the subject of free iPhone apps, I think many of you overlooked my recent post on AppGiveaway, a site where you can win promo codes for all kinds of iPhone apps.

In the past few weeks, I've registered for maybe eight giveaways--and won six of them. Your mileage may vary, of course, but for now it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Go sign up!

I love free stuff, and it seems like each day brings a wealth of new free goodies to the iPhone App Store. Here's a look at five notable apps that won't cost you a cent (at least for now--some are free only temporarily, so get 'em while you can).

This free, sexist app explains the "20! Top Man Things Men Must Know."

• 20! Top Man Things Men Must Know If you can excuse the sexist, unwieldy title, you'll find some undeniably useful information here: how to bandage a wound, perform basic CPR, fix a flat, and so on. (Note to developer: Why not call it 20 Top Things Everyone Should Know?)
• BlueSwap It's not quite PalmPilot-style beaming, but it's close. BlueSwap lets you swap contact information with other iPhone/iPod Touch users. Bluetooth makes it possible, meaning there's no need to use some third-party social network. (I haven't tried this yet, as I'm the only iPhone owner in the immediate vicinity, so if you're able to put it to the test, drop a comment.)
• C.A.R. - Accident Report Nobody likes a fender-bender, but if you absolutely positively must have one, this app will help you manage the details. It's similar to the iWrecked app I wrote about last month, but a little more robust.
• Droste Effect This is better seen than described, so I'll just say that if you like eye candy, you'll find this one visually tasty app. Really cool.
• Space Trader: Moon Madness If you like strategy games of the Lemonade Stand variety, which challenge you to make money rather than blast aliens, you're sure to get a kick out of Space Trader. True to its name, it casts you as a moon-based commodities broker. Buy, sell, profit. Perfect for Ferengi wanna-bes.

If you're an iPhone/iPod Touch user who likes to win free stuff or an iPhone developer who wants to generate some buzz about your product(s), look no further than AppGiveaway.

True to its name, AppGiveaway lets developers give away promo codes--and lets users register to win them. It's like eHarmony meets the App Store meets, um, some site that holds contests. Thankfully, there's no cost for either party.

AppGiveaway lets you enter to win promo codes for apps like this.

The site offers new giveaways every day. And not just one measly app: there were seven added today alone.

To throw your name into the virtual drop-entry-form-here box for any given app, just click through to read its description, and then click "Enter this giveaway." (If you haven't already registered, you'll need to do that first. It's a one-time e-mail confirmation process.)

If you're a developer, you need to register as one (as opposed to as a user) in order to submit your app for a giveaway. Of course, you also get to pimp the app with a sexy description, screenshots, links, and a Buy Now option for those who didn't win but want the app anyway.

It would be nice if the site showed a tally of how many people had entered a particular giveaway, or gave you a way to keep tabs on which giveaways you've entered. How about a way to sort giveaways so you can see those that are about to end (and sneak in your entry under the wire)?

Even so, AppGiveaway makes it a snap to enter app contests and, potentially, win free stuff. As for developers, it definitely looks like a way to get your app on the map, if only temporarily. (What do you say, devs? Is this a handy service, or does it need more, well, development?)

The incredibly handy Howcast app lets you watch thousands of how-to videos. Free.

(Credit: Rick Broida)

Apps like Evernote, Shazam, and Mint get all the glory, but there are plenty of other productivity-boosting, life-improving apps out there. Here's a roundup of five I'm loving right now--and because I'm a cheapskate (as well as The Cheapskate), they're all freebies.

• 6500+ Cool Facts Whether you're a trivia buff or just looking to learn more about the world, this nifty little app delivers. Read a fact, then tap the screen to move on to the next one. That's the entire interface--you can't save favorites or return to previous facts--but so what? Knowledge is power, and there's a ton of knowledge to be gleaned here.
• CardStar Best. App. Ever. CardStar replaces all the discount, reward, and membership cards in your wallet. To digitize a card, just type in a merchant name and your barcode number. When you get to the checkout, pull up the onscreen barcode and hand over your phone for scanning. My wallet just got four cards thinner!
• Howcast Need to know how to fix a leaky faucet...while you're standing at the faucet? Howcast delivers how-to videos wherever you need them. You can view featured, recently added, and random videos (just give a shake), or search for what you need. Second-best. App. Ever.
• iWrecked--Auto Accident Assistant Fender-bender? iWrecked helps you record all the necessary details, complete with photos, and turns them into an insurance company-ready PDF. It can also find nearby taxi and towing services and dial 911. This is one app you hope never to need, but find indispensable when you do.
• White Noise Lite Trouble falling asleep at night? A little white noise might do the trick. Just choose a sound--a thunderstorm, waves crashing on a beach, chirping crickets, etc.--and set your iPhone (or second-gen Touch) on your nightstand. The app features a volume fader and timer so your handset can "drift off" after you do.

Okay, your turn: What apps make your life easier? I'd prefer to hear about freebies, but don't be shy about nominating apps that cost a few bucks.

Stanza: download 10 free e-books from Random House and thousands more from other sources.

I love reading books on my iPhone, but I don't love e-book prices. I mean, digital content requires no printing, binding, shipping, storage, or heavy lifting--so why does Amazon charge the same price for the Kindle edition of "The Kite Runner" as for the paperback?

That's a debate for another day (though let me go on record saying I'd buy a lot more e-books if they were priced in the $1 to $4 range). For now, let's look at ways you can read on the cheap--or, at least, the cheaper--on your iPhone.

• Look for freebies Stanza, one of my favorite e-book viewers (just acquired by Amazon, incidentally), connects you with thousands of freebies. For example, check out the Random House Free Library, which currently stocks 10 mainstream e-books. (Best bet: Charlie Huston's superb crime-noir series, which starts with "Caught Stealing.") Meanwhile, there's Google Book Search, a browser-based solution that connects you to a whopping 1.5 million public-domain books. Point Safari to http://books.google.com/m.
• Look for deals E-bookseller Fictionwise already discounts its e-books, but you can stretch your dollar even further by setting up a "Micropay" account (i.e., a debit account). Most books come with a Micropay rebate, meaning you get 10 percent to 15 percent of the purchase price added back to your account. But sometimes Fictionwise runs rebate specials, as it's doing right now with J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series: Buy any/all of the books and you get back 100 percent. You can read Fictionwise e-books using eReader or Stanza. (Just make sure to choose titles that are available in the Secure eReader format.)
• Try before you buy Amazon's Kindle app lets you read free of charge the entire first chapter of any book in the Kindle Store. That's a great way to see if you like a book before plunking down your $10. However, you can't browse the store from within the app: You have to queue up your sample chapters from your browser. Not so with Shortcovers, an e-book viewer with a built-in bookstore that offers sample chapters for many titles (but only forewords for others).
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Freebie app SnapTell lets you price-compare books, CDs, and more just by snapping a photo.

(Credit: SnapTell)

NPR, e-books, and auto-repair, oh my! The fantastic iPhone (and iPod Touch) freebies just keep on coming. Here's a look at six apps that have earned a permanent home on my handset. (Note: All links go directly to the iTunes Store.)

• Kindle for iPhone Though not perfect in its 1.0 release, the Kindle app brings Amazon's 240,000-strong e-book library to your iPhone--and that alone is reason to celebrate. Don't knock it till you've tried it.
• Lose It! Trying to lose weight? Forget the diet du jour: It all boils down to math. If you burn more calories than you consume, presto: the pounds come off. Lose It! makes it a snap to set a weight goal and track daily calories and exercise.
• Public Radio Tuner An excellent companion to the NPR Mobile app I mentioned last time, Public Radio Tuner lets you stream hundreds of stations and can even zero in on local ones.
• RepairPal A must-have for car owners, RepairPal helps you price-compare repair estimates, find and contact local mechanics, get roadside assistance, and more.
• SnapTell The ultimate app for cheapskates? Might could be. Snap a photo of any book cover, CD, DVD, or video game, and the app serves up ratings, reviews, videos, and, best of all, price comparisons. (Thanks to brohan81 for recommending this one.)
• Textfree Lite If you routinely rack up massive text-messaging charges (I'm looking at you, teenagers), grab Textfree Lite. It lets you send messages free of charge (15 per day in the Lite version, so consider this a trial run). You can receive free texts as well, but only from other Textfree users. Yeah, it's a bit of a hassle, but so are big monthly bills.

In the meantime, check out my last roundup of fab iPhone freebies. And the batch before that. Talk about an embarrassment of free riches!

Stream unlimited music to your iPhone or iPod Touch with the free Slacker Radio app.

(Credit: Slacker)

How do I love thee, iPhone (and iPod Touch)? Let me count the ways. Hmmm. Well, space doesn't permit me to list all 12,503, so I'll settle for six. As in, six free apps you absolutely positively gotta get. (Note: as with my previous batch of iPhone freebies, all links go straight to iTunes.)

• Mancala FS5 I love the Mancala board game, and this iPhone edition is even better. It teaches beginners the basics, automatically moves your beads, and supports Internet multiplayer! (You can even play against your AIM buddies.) Consider splurging on the $1.99 full version to enjoy ad-free play.
• NPR Mobile Though not an official NPR app, it lets you browse broadcasts by topic, series, and even commentator, then stream to your heart's content. It can also do a location search, great for when you're traveling and want to tune the car radio to the nearest NPR station.
• Slacker Radio Best. Streaming music app. Ever. I know some folks prefer Pandora, but I've always loved the Web-based Slacker and its robust custom-station building. The new iPhone app (pictured) is just plain fantastic. Read my full review here.
• Sportacular At the risk of ruining my geek cred, I do follow (and even play) some sports. Sportacular gives you scores, standings, schedules, stats, and more. It also lets you designate favorite teams so you can track them more easily.
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(Credit: Joost)

As a mostly ecstatic new iPhone owner, I've spent considerable time checking out--you guessed it--the hundreds of freebie apps available from iTunes. Here's a list of seven I'm loving right now. (Note: all links are for iTunes.)

• AroundMe Instantly find nearby banks, gas stations, coffee shops, and other businesses and services.
• Dashbuster Manage your Blockbuster or Netflix queue anytime, anywhere. Great for those times when a friend recommends a movie and you think, "Yeah, I gotta rent that."
• Movies This Flixster-powered app finds cineplexes near you, then serves up show times, trailers, and even upcoming theater and DVD releases.
• Google Earth Like the desktop version? The iPhone app is even cooler because it can pinpoint your current location and "tilt" your view as your tilt your phone.
• Joost Though buggy and crash-prone in its first release, Joost brings a boatload of free streaming TV shows and movies to your iPhone. Just one catch: it requires a Wi-Fi connection.
• Melodis Voice Dialer No voice dialing on the iPhone? No problem. Just press and hold a button to voice-search for contacts, or say "call" and then a name to auto-dial. Best freebie dialer I've seen (or spoken to) yet.
• TapDefense It's an iPhone version of the mega-popular Tower Defense game. Need I say more? (Productivity be damned!)